Noble gas, a potential nuclear proliferation indicator

Conference · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1993 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States)

OSTI ID:5892113

Chapman, T C ^[1]

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1. Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Company, Idaho Falls (United States)

In the post-Cold War era, it appears that nuclear proliferation will be a continuing problem. At least one reliable technique to detect nuclear activities is needed to deter potential proliferators. This paper proposes a candidate technique for detection. Early efforts to measure nuclear fuel performance resulted in the consideration of a variety of potential techniques. In 1965, Maeck proposed determination of nuclear fuel burnup based on the ratio of two stable fission product isotopes of the same element. Maeck proposed using three ratios: [sup 84]Kr/[sup 83]Kr, [sup 132]Xe/[sup 131]Xe, and [sup 144]Nd/[sup 143]Nd. More recent work includes useful application of krypton and xenon isotope correlation techniques to safeguards at nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities. The safeguards application requires very precise measurement of the fission product isotopes, detailed fuel exposure history, and knowledge of the neutron spectrum. Meeting all these requirements is extremely difficult and requires carefully controlled conditions. The most likely scenario for a proliferator to produce nuclear material suitable for weapons applications is reprocessing of reactor fuel to recover the plutonium. Since useful amounts of plutonium are produced in all uranium-fueled reactors, reprocessing the reactor fuel would be much easier and less expensive than mining and enriching uranium to weapons-grade material. Reprocessing nuclear reactor fuel releases the noble gases krypton and xenon from the fuel. Because capture of the noble gases is difficult, expensive, and produces a radiation hazard, the gases will normally be released during reprocessing. These factors provide the basis for this proposed technique of detecting proliferators.

• OSTI ID: 5892113
• Report Number(s): CONF-930601-; CODEN: TANSAO
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States), Vol. 68; Conference: American Nuclear Society (ANS) annual meeting, San Diego, CA (United States), 20-24 Jun 1993; ISSN 0003-018X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
NUCLEAR FUELS
REPROCESSING
PLUTONIUM
PROLIFERATION
SAFEGUARDS
DETECTION
FISSION PRODUCT RELEASE
FISSION PRODUCTS
GROUND RELEASE
KRYPTON
XENON
ACTINIDES
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FUELS
GASES
ISOTOPES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
METALS
NONMETALS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RARE GASES
REACTOR MATERIALS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
055001* - Nuclear Fuels- Safeguards
Inspection
& Accountability- Technical Aspects
350200 - Arms Control- Proliferation- (1987-)
350300 - Arms Control- Verification- (1987-)